Paris Saint Germain Football Club: A Legacy of Glory and Ambition

Paris Saint Germain Football Club: A Legacy of Glory and Ambition

PSG or Paris Saint Germain, are one of France’s best football clubs based out of the capital city of Paris. The club is relatively new with just over 50 years in existence. The club sports a crest of the Eiffel tower in French colors. And in this short history, the club has been through rapid declines and changes in the fortune of the club. Outside France, PSG is one of the most well-known and supported French footballing clubs. Several legends who have graced the game have played for PSG at some point or the other. Players including Ronaldinho, Neymar, Cavani, Ibrahimovic, Mbappe and Messi. Paris Saint Germain has a rich history in French football being a top-tier and highly successful club. The club has won over 40 titles and Cups that include 9 Ligue 1 titles in the French League and other domestic titles. PSG is a relatively younger club as compared to others that have been around for more than a century. And because of this, they’ve not won many European titles and 0 Champions League trophies. In fact, 2020 was the first time PSG reached a UEFA CL finals, losing out to Bayern. We look at what made PSG, where they currently stand today, and what it means for the future of PSG.

PSG Football Club’s Past

Paris Saint Germain was originally founded in the early 1970s. It took the club a decade to win their first trophy and around 15 years for the Ligue Title. All in all, the club has won Ligue 1 9 times with the most recent win in 2020 and the Coupe de France 13 ties in all.

1. The 1990s – The 90s were a good time for PSG Football Club as it saw the club establish itself as a force in France and a top-competing European club. During this time, the club managed to win the Ligue 1, a couple of League Cups, a couple of French Cups, the UEFA Cup Winners Cup, etc. Overall, the club won 9 trophies during this time with players such as Weah, Rai, and Ginola. Many people trace the success of the club during this era to its takeover by the media mogul, Canal+. This change in ownership was what essentially made the club the richest one in the country at the time. As a result, it gave PSG access to the resources they needed to revitalize their squad and make them strong contenders for the league title. Not only did Canal+ supply the much-needed funds, but the company also wiped out the massive debt that the club had at the time. It was also during this time that the new owners of the club replaced Francis Borelli with Michel Denisot as the president of the club. At this point, the goal of the club to contest for continental silverware become something more than a far off dream. With their budget increased sizably from 90 to 120 million francs, one of the first things the management of the board did was to bring onboard the veteran coach, Artur Jorge. They then splurged on the likes of Paul Le Guen, Waldo and Ricardo. As the records show, all of these investments would prove truly worthwhile as the club quickly became good enough to become the rivals of the likes of Olympique de Marseille and accrue trophy after trophy almost at will.

2. The 2000s – The period of the 2000s saw a decline for PSG compared to the previous decade. At the time, Ronaldinho, one of the greatest players in world football, played for PSG but was unable to change its fortunes. In fact, PSG almost got relegated from Ligue 1 twice, but narrowly escaped the drop.

3. The 2010s – With better finances and a board willing to support the club, PSG has had a period of a resurgence since 2011. The current ruler of Qatar is also the owner of the French football club, making it one of the richest clubs in the world. And with new money also came in new players in the form of Ibrahimovic, Silva, Cavani, Neymar, Mbappe, etc. (the last two for world-record and near world-record transfer fees). It bears mentioning that following the ownership of the club by Qatar Sports Investments, the club called on a renowned individual and club legend, Leonardo to see to the bolstering of the club. He did this in the most spectacular manner possible. The amount of funds that he spent in the summer transfer winder of 2011 remains unprecedented in Ligue 1 history. What is even more commendable here is the fact that he managed to not use it on failed players as every signing was able to more than prove their worth. This was when the likes of Javier Pastore, Salvatore Sirigu and Maxwell joined PSG. Some other players that came in the same transfer window were Blaise Matuidi and Kevin Gameiro. With the influx of players of such caliber, the club had slowly but surely begun to lay down the foundations of what would be one of the greatest domestic hegemonies in the world of French football.

PSG’s Present

Paris Saint Germain Football Club are currently the dominant force in France. The club has won the French League in 7 out of the last 8 seasons. They’re in a similar position to Bayern Munich in their home League in terms of League dominance. However, the Champions League trophy the club is pursuing is very elusive. The club reached the Champions League finals for the first time only in 2020. While PSG didn’t win, they’ve set their sights on winning the UEFA Champions League soon.

The current manager of the club is Mauricio Pochettino. Some of the current stars at the club include Kimpembe, Veratti, Icardi, Mbappe, Neymar, Di Maria, Draxler, etc. PSG has other sporting departments too.

Examples include an esports division for professional gamers in France and across the globe. The last transfer window saw the club add players like 6-time Ballon d’Or winner, Lionel Messi and Sergio Ramos to their roster. The motivation behind this signing being to replicate at least some of their domestic success on the continental scene.

However, that hasn’t worked out as planned for them. While they were able to scale through a relatively tough group stage and finish in second place, 3 goals from Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema sent them crashing out of the Round of 16.

On the whole, this performance can be written off as growing pains as it’s possible that the team is yet to fully synergize with each other, it is eerily reminiscent of their previous less than stellar performance on the continental front.

The club does have what it takes to be kings of European football. All that’s left for then to secure this place is to know how to carefully their pieces across the board.

PSG’s Future

Paris Saint Germain Football Club goes through decades of dominance and then periods of struggle (usually off the pitch). With enough financial security and the club bringing in top players, it’s hard to see any other French team displace PSG in the League. However, the club’s main target is the Champions League and Tuchel’s job will depend on it. The club will also look to build a formidable squad around Kylian Mbappe, a French prodigy in the making. One area PSG needs to keep an eye on is FFP rules. By bringing in star players for exorbitant amounts and not making corresponding income sales, the club is flouting FIFA’s rules. While this may not see any immediate harm, it may result in sanctions or bans, in the long run, giving rise to more new problems for the Parisian club.

PSG Football Club

The Past, Present And Future Of PSG FC

PSG or Paris Saint Germain, are one of France’s best football clubs based out of the capital city of Paris. The club is relatively new with just over 50 years in existence. The club sports a crest of the Eiffel tower in French colors. And in this short history, the club has been through rapid declines and changes in the fortune of the club. Outside France, PSG is one of the most well-known and supported French footballing clubs. Several legends who have graced the game have played for PSG at some point or the other. Players including Ronaldinho, Neymar, Cavani, Ibrahimovic, Mbappe and Messi. Paris Saint Germain has a rich history in French football being a top-tier and highly successful club. The club has won over 40 titles and Cups that include 9 Ligue 1 titles in the French League and other domestic titles. PSG is a relatively younger club as compared to others that have been around for more than a century. And because of this, they’ve not won many European titles and 0 Champions League trophies. In fact, 2020 was the first time PSG reached a UEFA CL finals, losing out to Bayern. We look at what made PSG, where they currently stand today, and what it means for the future of PSG.

PSG Football Club’s Past

Paris Saint Germain was originally founded in the early 1970s. It took the club a decade to win their first trophy and around 15 years for the Ligue Title. All in all, the club has won Ligue 1 9 times with the most recent win in 2020 and the Coupe de France 13 ties in all.

1. The 1990s – The 90s were a good time for PSG Football Club as it saw the club establish itself as a force in France and a top-competing European club. During this time, the club managed to win the Ligue 1, a couple of League Cups, a couple of French Cups, the UEFA Cup Winners Cup, etc. Overall, the club won 9 trophies during this time with players such as Weah, Rai, and Ginola. Many people trace the club’s success during this era to its takeover by the media mogul, Canal+. This change in ownership essentially made the club the richest one in the country at the time. As a result, it gave PSG access to the resources they needed to revitalize their squad and make them strong contenders for the league title. Not only did Canal+ supply the much-needed funds, but the company also wiped out the massive debt that the club had at the time. During this time, the new owners of the club replaced Francis Borelli with Michel Denisot as the president of the club. At this point, the club’s goal to contest for continental silverware becomes something more than a far-off dream. With their budget increased sizably from 90 to 120 million francs, one of the first things the board’s management did was bring onboard the veteran coach, Artur Jorge. They then splurged on the likes of Paul Le Guen, Waldo, and Ricardo. As the records show, all of these investments would prove genuinely worthwhile. The club quickly became good enough to become the rivals of the likes of Olympique de Marseille and accrue trophy after trophy almost at will.

2. The 2000s – The period of the 2000s saw a decline for PSG compared to the previous decade. At the time, Ronaldinho, one of the greatest players in world football, played for PSG but was unable to change its fortunes. In fact, PSG almost got relegated from Ligue 1 twice, but narrowly escaped the drop.

3. The 2010s – With better finances and a board willing to support the club, PSG has had a period of a resurgence since 2011. The current ruler of Qatar is also the owner of the French football club, making it one of the richest clubs in the world. And with new money also came in new players in the form of Ibrahimovic, Silva, Cavani, Neymar, Mbappe, etc. (the last two for world-record and near world-record transfer fees). It bears mentioning that following the club’s ownership by Qatar Sports Investments, the club called on a renowned individual and club legend, Leonardo, to see to the bolstering of the club. He did this in the most spectacular manner possible. The amount of funds he spent in the summer transfer winder of 2011 remains unprecedented in Ligue 1 history. What is even more commendable here is the fact that he managed not to use it on failed players, as every signing was able to prove their worth more. It was when the likes of Javier Pastore, Salvatore Sirigu, and Maxwell joined PSG. Some other players in the same transfer window were Blaise Matuidi and Kevin Gameiro. With the influx of players of such caliber, the club had slowly but surely begun to lay down the foundations of what would be one of the most significant domestic hegemonies in the world of French football.

PSG’s Present

Paris Saint Germain Football Club is currently the dominant force in France. The club has won the French League in 7 out of the last 8 seasons. They’re in a similar position to Bayern Munich in their home League in terms of League dominance. However, the Champions League trophy the club is pursuing is very elusive. The club reached the Champions League finals for the first time only in 2020. While PSG didn’t win, they’ve set their sights on winning the UEFA Champions League soon. The current manager of the club is Mauricio Pochettino. Some of the current stars at the club include Kimpembe, Veratti, Icardi, Mbappe, Neymar, Di Maria, Draxler, etc. PSG has other sporting departments too. Examples include an esports division for professional gamers in France and across the globe.

The last transfer window saw the club add players like 6-time Ballon d’Or winner, Lionel Messi and Sergio Ramos. The motivation behind this signing is to replicate at least some of their domestic success on the continental scene.

However, that hasn’t worked out as planned for them. While it could scale through a relatively challenging group stage and finish in second place, three goals from Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema sent them crashing out of the Round of 16.

Overall, this performance can be written off as growing pains as it’s possible to synergize with each other fully. It is eerily reminiscent of their previous less than stellar performance on the continental front.

The club does have what it takes to be kings of European football. To secure this place, all left for them is knowing how to care for their pieces across the board.

PSG’s Future

Paris Saint Germain Football Club goes through decades of dominance and then periods of struggle (usually off the pitch). With enough financial security and the club bringing in top players, it’s hard to see any other French team displace PSG in the League. However, the club’s main target is the Champions League and Tuchel’s job will depend on it. The club will also look to build a formidable squad around Kylian Mbappe, a French prodigy in the making. One area PSG needs to keep an eye on is FFP rules. By bringing in star players for exorbitant amounts and not making corresponding income sales, the club is flouting FIFA’s rules. While this may not see any immediate harm, it may result in sanctions or bans, in the long run, giving rise to more new problems for the Parisian club.